1 quart of shellfish stock, OR 16 ounces of clam juice plus 16 ounces of fish stock or water

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt to taste

Method

1 Cook the bacon on medium heat in a 6 to 8 quart pot until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon. Set aside on a paper towel to use for garnish later.

2 Increase the heat to medium high and add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are translucent. Do not brown. Sprinkle some salt over everything as it cooks.

3 Add the fish, tomatoes and the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

4 Add the orange zest, cayenne and saffron, then pour in the shellfish stock or whatever stock you are using. In a pinch you could even use chicken or vegetable stock, but the flavor of the soup will be different. Simmer this gently – do not let it get to a rolling boil – for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5 Get another pot ready. Fill a blender a third of the way with the soup and blend it on high (starting on low then increasing to high) for 1 minute, or until it is well puréed. Work in batches to purée the rest of the soup. Pour the puréed soup into the clean pot.

6 Put the soup on medium-low heat and add the cream. Stir well and taste for salt, adding if needed. Do not let this boil! Or it might break.

Serve garnished with bacon bits or dill fronds, and alongside some crusty bread. A dry rose or light red wine would go well with this; I’d suggest a Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir.

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Comments

What a wonderful and freshing seafood bisque. I recently had some that was quite bad, their base was tilapia and it just wasn’t good. You have inspired me to make some of this hearty soup very soon. I think the orange zest is a surprsing touch, I have always simply added lemon juice to seafood based dishes. I look forward to trying this recipe very soon.

Maybe I’m being dense, but how much fish do I use and when do I add it?

When I read the introduction, I was really excited to read that some of the fish I cook with frequency here in Minnesota were actually listed by name instead of as simply “other mild white fish”. Walleye, sunnies and crappies (pronounced CRAW-pees) are fabulous fish with great flavor, but they are almost completely ignored when it comes to recipes outside of cookbooks dedicated to game, fishing or Midwestern recipes. Thanks Hank and Elise!

I’ve fixed the recipe; fish goes in with the tomatoes and garlic. And I used to live in Minnesota, so I have lotsa love for walleyes, perch and crappies! ~Hank

Can I turn this into a Shrimp Bisque by subbing an equal amount of shrimp? Good, fresh fish can be hard to find in my neighborhood. But good shrimp can be a bit easier. Eager to try this one as I have four quarts of the shellfish stock in the freezer just waiting for this recipe.

It’s a hit! My hubby & I just finished this off and sure wish we had tried it earlier in the winter season! I used cod, clam juice as the base, and realized I didn’t have saffron. After pureeing, I added some shelled/deveined shrimp I had on hand. It was extremely good! We both loved the hint of orange zest & cayenne!
I’ll be making this many times. I’m thinking this will be my new “gift” meal with crusty bread and a bottle of wine!